Imperial Family of Austenasia
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The Austenasian Imperial Family consists of Emperor Jonathan I and his close relations. Officially, the Imperial Family consists only of the Emperor, his wife Empress Hannah, his sister Princess Caroline, and his parents Emperor Father Terry and Emperor Mother Margaret. However, other relations of the Emperor are often referred to as belonging to the "extended Imperial Family".
The Imperial Family should not be confused either with the Line of Succession or the House of Austen. The Imperial Family is a legally defined grouping of the very closest relations of the Monarch; the House of Austen is the dynastic house to which the current Emperor belongs; and the Line of Succession consists of those eligible to inherit the Throne upon the death or abdication of the Monarch, which since April 2024 has not included the current Emperor's relations.
Current composition
Since 20 September 2011, the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 has defined the Imperial Family as "The Monarch, his/her descendants and siblings and their descendants, his/her living ancestors, and all of their spouses" (Article IV, Section B, Paragraph A).
As of 5 November 2022, therefore, the Imperial Family consists of:
- HIM Emperor Jonathan I, b. 1994, reigning Monarch since 20 January 2013.
- HI&SH Empress Hannah, b. 1996, wife of Jonathan I.
- HIH Princess Caroline, b. 1998, younger sister of Jonathan I.
- HIH Emperor Father Terry, b. 1961, a former Emperor as Terry I (r. 2008-10) and father of Jonathan I and Princess Caroline.
- HIH Emperor Mother Margaret, b. 1955, wife of Emperor Father Terry (and thereby former Empress consort) and mother of Jonathan I and Princess Caroline.
Previous compositions
Reign of Terry I (2008-10)
The composition of the "Royal Family" (as it was then known) was first defined by Act 8 (Titles) in October 2008, a month after Austenasia declared independence, as the spouse, siblings, and children of the Monarch. Another law, passed on 20 December later that year (Act 34, Law 11), added the parents of the Monarch while also excluding any abdicated former Monarch. The Royal Family was renamed to the Imperial Family on 10 January 2009, by Act 47.
The Imperial Family during the reign of Terry I therefore consisted of:
- HIH Emperor Mother Bette,[1] b. 1926, mother of Terry I. Her husband, David, died before Terry I's reign began; he would have been titled as Emperor Father if alive.
- HIM Emperor Terry I, b. 1961, the first Monarch of Austenasia.
HIH Empress Margaret, b. 1955, wife of Terry I (titled as "Princess Consort" prior to a revision of titles on 30 May 2009).- HIH Crown Prince Jonathan, b. 1994, Heir to the Throne as eldest child of Terry I and Empress Margaret.
- HIH Princess Caroline, b. 1998, younger child of Terry I and Empress Margaret.
- HIH Princess Christine, b. 1946, eldest sister of Terry I.
- HIH Princess Pauline, b. 1947, sister of Terry I.
- HIH Princess Julie, b. 1953, sister of Terry I.
- HIM Emperor Terry I, b. 1961, the first Monarch of Austenasia.
Reigns of Esmond III and Declan I (2010-13)
With the ascension to the Throne of Esmond III, Austenasia had an Emperor unrelated to his predecessor. Law 11 of Act 113 - the legislation which brought Esmond III to the Throne - specified that the Line of Succession would remain untouched, and that all in it would retain their titles, as if Terry I were still Emperor. No legislation altered the definition of the Imperial Family, meaning that the relatives of Esmond III legally became the Imperial Family during his reign. However, none of his relatives ever played a public role in Austenasian society, and none were ever officially referred to as holding an imperial title (his younger brother was occasionally titled as a prince in conversation, but this was never confirmed in any written document). The Imperial Family as it had existed during the reign of Terry I continued to be referred to as such both popularly and via official channels, and so remained as such de facto despite losing the legal basis for this status.
On 19 December 2010, Declan I became joint Emperor. Unlike the family of Esmond III, the family of Declan I were explicitly granted titles as relatives of a Monarch by the legislation which brought him to the throne; however, they were not explicitly referred to as members of the Imperial Family.[2]
With the entering into effect of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 on 20 September that year (and the simultaneous removal of Esmond III as co-Emperor), the current definition of the Imperial Family (see above) was adopted. Additionally, an important clarification was made by a clause[3] of the new Constitution: along with a reaffirmation that the Throne would revert to the heirs of Terry I upon the end of the reign of Declan I, it was also explicitly stated that the Imperial Family was comprised as if the former were still on the Throne instead of the latter.
The law was not entirely clear as to whether the former Terry I or the reigning Declan I were therefore included within the official definition of the Imperial Family. However, from the implementation of the Constitution until the end of the reign of Declan I, the rest of the Imperial Family definitively consisted of:
- HIH Emperor Mother Bette, b. 1926, mother of Terry I, until her death on 12 October 2012.
- HIH Princess Christine, b. 1946, eldest sister of Terry I.
- HIH Princess Pauline, b. 1947, sister of Terry I.
HH Prince Kenneth, b. 1945, husband of Princess Pauline. - HIH Princess Julie, b. 1953, sister of Terry I.
HH Prince Peter, b. 1941, husband of Princess Julie. - Lady Margaret Austen, Baroness of Glencrannog, DHJ, DOR, DPP, b. 1955, wife of Terry I.
- HIH Crown Prince Jonathan, b. 1994, Heir to the Throne as eldest child of Terry I.
- HIH Princess Caroline, b. 1998, younger sister of Crown Prince Jonathan.
Reign of Jonathan I (prior to marriage)
Upon the abdication of Declan I on 20 January 2013, Crown Prince Jonathan ascended the Throne as the incumbent Emperor Jonathan I, with his sister Caroline becoming Crown Princess as heir presumptive. As they were now treated as the aunts of Jonathan I rather than the siblings of Terry I, the sisters (and their husbands) of the latter now no longer fell under the defining criteria of members of the Imperial Family proper, whereas Emperor Grandmother Joyce was added to the group as a direct ancestor of the new reigning Monarch.
Upon the ascension to the Throne of Jonathan I, therefore, the Imperial Family consisted of:
- HIH Emperor Grandmother Joyce, b. 1922, mother of Emperor Mother Margaret. Her husband, Robert, died before Jonathan I's reign began; he would have been titled as Emperor Grandfather if alive.
- HIH Emperor Father Terry, b. 1961, father of Jonathan I.
HIH Emperor Mother Margaret, b. 1955, wife of Terry I and mother of Jonathan I.- HIM Emperor Jonathan I, b. 1994, reigning Monarch from 20 January 2013.
- HIH Crown Princess Caroline, b. 1998, younger sister of Jonathan I.
- HIH Emperor Father Terry, b. 1961, father of Jonathan I.
During this period, the "Imperial Family proper" was distinguished from the "immediate Imperial Family". The former included Emperor Grandmother Joyce, whereas the latter referred only to the other four, who lived together in the Imperial Residence. The Imperial Family retained this composition until the death of the Emperor Grandmother on 2 November 2018. The Imperial Family then consisted of the four residents of the Imperial Residence, until the marriage of Jonathan I to Princess Hannah of Wildflower Meadows on 5 November 2022.